Israeli Spies Busted in Russia

Russia expels Israel’s military attaché over espionage claims (Ha’aretz):

Israel’s military attaché in Moscow was arrested and expelled earlier this week, it was revealed on Wednesday, with sources saying that the top Israel Defense Forces officer was questioned over espionage suspicions.

Colonel Vadim Leiderman was arrested during a May 12 meeting in a restaurant, in what appeared to be a violation of his diplomatic immunity. He was then questioned for a few hours, released, and subsequently deported.

Leiderman, who was born in the Soviet Union, has a doctorate in engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa. He was a member of the Israel Air Force (IAF) technical corps, and spent some years working for the IAF in America.

Haaretz also learned that Leiderman was questioned by the Shin Bet over suspicions he had contacted a foreign agent, suspicions of which he was subsequently cleared.

The IDF released a statement in response to Lederman’s deportation, saying that the IDF officer’s mission “was to end in two months,” adding that Israeli security “officials had made a thorough examination which found that espionage claims are unfounded.”

The unusual incident occurred during an official visit to Russia by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, led by committee chairman and Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz.

Israeli Attache Expelled ‘for Spying’ (Moscow Times):

Russia has expelled an Israeli military attache to Moscow on suspicion of espionage, media reports said Wednesday.

Israel’s military has rejected the charges as “unfounded,” saying in a statement that the officer underwent a “thorough investigation” after returning home.

The officer, whom Israeli media identified as Colonel Vadim Leiderman, took a lie detector test in Israel, Interfax said.

The military said the officer “was detained for investigation last week by Russian authorities on suspicion of spying.”

Israeli Channel 2 television said he was taken away by Russian agents during dinner. He was questioned and expelled Saturday, news web site Dp.ru said.

Russian intelligence accused the officer of passing sensitive information to Israel, Channel 2 reported.

Leiderman became attache in 2008 and his tenure was to expire in June, Dp.ru said. He is to be replaced by Colonel Kobi Haviv.

Attaché arrested at Moscow coffee shop (Ynet News):

Jerusalem was still struggling Thursday to set things straight with Russia, which expelled its Israeli military attaché due to espionage allegations. The case was cleared for publication Wednesday.

Military Attaché Colonel Vadim Leiderman was arrested at a coffee shop in Moscow, where he was meeting with a Russian army officer. He was then interrogated by one of Russia’s intelligence agencies, apparently the FSB. He and his family were given 48 hours to leave the country.

Leiderman has since been questioned by Israeli security officials. He maintains that the allegations are baseless and false, and that the entire incident stems from a misunderstanding.

The attaché was interrogated by the Shin Bet and the Defense Ministry, both of which investigated the case for four days, and was even submitted to a lie detector test before it was announced that Russia’s allegations had been found to be untrue.

Officials say the government has never received any secret information from Leiderman.

The attache’s function does not include any type of espionage. He serves as liaison with the Russian military and military industries, and follows publications by the Kremlin. But governments all over the world tend to keep military attachés under close scrutiny.

Israeli officials were shocked by Leiderman’s arrest. The state’s relations with Russia have not been tense despite its various arms dealings with Syria, and just a few days ago former IDF Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz led an official visit to Moscow, attended by members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Via: Public Intelligence